Atlantic City AMs

[JerseyShor]

With the move of Air America to 1490 I've been tuning around the AM dial alot and comparing the 4 major AC AM signals.

1,000 watt 1450 WENJ seems by far the strongest AM signal. I can get this station loud and clear up to Exit 74 on the Parkway, listenable to almost Exit 88! Still interferes with WCTC north of Exit 91!

890 watt 1340 WMID comes in second, reaching up to the Barnegat Tolls with a loud clear signal, gone into the noise around Exit 82.

1,000 watt 1400 WOND is third, loud and clear up to Exit 63, fades in and out of static until just past Exit 82, then just gone into the noise.

400 watt WTAA is last, loud and clear up to Exit 63, then begins to get interference from WBCB up to Exit 77 where WTAA is then totally gone.

Not an Atlantic City signal, but...

1,900 watt 1020 WIBG/Ocean City gets out very well, rock solid to Exit 67 and listenable past Exit 80.

 

[tom]

For what it's worth ... WENJ isn't 1000 watts ... it's 800 watts day and 1000 watts night,
regardless of what the FCC Database says.

 

[JerseyShor]

So 800 watt WENJ gets almost 20 miles more coverage than 1,000 watt WOND.

Is there any particular reason, or is it just your amazing engineering skills at work?

 

[mcmannors]

Weren't all of those stations (1340, 1400, 1450, and 1490) a full 1,000 watts (at least in the daytime) at one time? If so, why did 1340, 1450, and 1490 have to decrease their power over the years?

 

[tom]

Power isn't as important as people think ... I would say WENJ is stronger because of a
new ground system, and efficient antenna, and a nice location. An aside ... WNJN 88.1
has a 44 watt transmitter, and the signal rivals the two class B's in some areas on the
same tower. Not necessarily in pure strength, but in listenability (meaning the ability to
understand every word clearly with no interference)

Atlantic City AM power history (as I know it)

The Class IV AM's were given permission to go to 1000 watts day and
250 watts night in the early 60s ...

WFPG 1450 I think was first, but they added height to their tower for the FM and
had to reduce to 780 watts (or something like that) to compensate for the higher
antenna. They were able to go to 1000 watts at night, because night time power
on that class of station has different rules that allow it. Due to an error by the
FCC, they were 1000 watts unlimited for a time, but it's temporarily back to 780 day.

WOND 1400 was 1000/250 watts until they moved from the little 180 foot tower to
the 385 foot tower, then they had to reduce to 600 watts for a few years, until they took
some readings and showed that they didn't cause any interference at 1000 watts.

WMID 1340 was 1000/250 watts grandfathered from the early 60's on a 300 foot tower,
and had to reduce slightly to 890 in about 1995 when I added 50 feet to the tower for
a better FM signal.

WBAB/WLDB/WUSS/WGYM/WTKU/WTAA 1490 was the last Atlantic City area station
to go from 250 to 1000/250 in the 60's ... they were 1000 watts in Atlantic City on
Tennessee Avenue (near Borgata) and had to initially reduce to 290 when it was
moved over to Pleasantville, and subsequently went up to 400 watts.

(for those who don't know - WBAB-FM 100.7 (now WZXL) was an Atlantic City station,
and went off the air in the early 50's due to FCC improprieties)

Other stations ...

WSLT/WIBG 1520/1020 ... was originally 1000 watts Daytime/Directional from two
towers in the golf course next to the Parkway in Somers Point. The gold course
didn't renew their lease, so they shut it off and just concentrated on the FM ...
(WSTL/WKOE 106.3) until Don Powers brought it back to life on 1020 at the
FM site with a unipole type antenna, at 500 watts Daytime.

WCMC 1230 was 100 watts until something like 1966, then went to 1000/250.

 

[MikeF]

1,000 watt 1450 WENJ seems by far the strongest AM signal. I can get this station loud and clear up to Exit 74 on the Parkway, listenable to almost Exit 88! Still interferes with WCTC north of Exit 91!

890 watt 1340 WMID comes in second, reaching up to the Barnegat Tolls with a loud clear signal, gone into the noise around Exit 82.

Different radios, different results.

For at least my last three car radios I get MID up through the upper 90's before it fades to noise. I get ENJ up through the lower 90's before CTC takes over.

Both stations go much further than OND and TAA.

So 800 watt WENJ gets almost 20 miles more coverage than 1,000 watt WOND.

Is there any particular reason, or is it just your amazing engineering skills at work?

While power, ground systems and towers are certainly are part of it, the main reason is transmitter site location, location, location.

For AM, by far the best signal propagation occurs over a salt water path. Near the worst propagation is over a sandy soil path. You've got both in south Jersey. The bays and marshes (and of course the ocean) are great paths for AM, the sandy soil of the mainland is a terrible path. If you want a bunch more detail, you can look at the FCC site regarding "AM Groundwave Field Strength Graphs" at:

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/73184/index.html

WOND and WTAA's transmitter site is located in the marshes in Pleasantville, about 1/6 of a mile from the sandy soil of the mainland.

WMID's and WENJ's transmitters sites are on the northwest side of Atlantic City itself, about 4 miles from the sandy soil of the mainland.

Any location on the mainland close to the coast, going up or down the coast (such as on the Parkway) is going to receive signals from MID or ENJ over a mostly salt water path. The signals of OND or TAA are going to travel over a mostly sandy soil path, and be be reduced much more.

 

[carlvenorden]

I love this topic! I spent many months, all year around in Beach Haven....and have a very cool recollection of the four major AM's out of Atlantic City as recieved in Beach Haven (Long Beach Island, south).

Things have of course changed, with all the hash and interference in the air, but although most of these stations, and to my recollection they were all 1000d/250n at the time, some have had to reduce power, the standings on how they are recieved have not changed all that much.

They almost slide down the dial, but not exactly.

I brought this up a couple years ago, but here it is again.

1450: The strongest AM in South Jersey.
1230: Second, but a more processed signal. This was a close 2nd.
1400: Third, and always sounded like it was coming off a phone line, even in the 70's.
1590: Although a highly processed signal in the 70's, ranks 4th for signal strength. With a highly processed music signal WUSS did a fine job for it's frequency.

At this location, Beach Haven South, Tom's River WOBM, then at 1170 and omni, had a great signal at the shore.WCMC couldn't be hardly heard, but "my" WRAN from Dover had a highly directional signal aimed at the shore and could be heard like a daytimer.

I love the discussions of South Jersey AM stations; and Tom Mc.Nally did a ton of work there, .........his opinions are to be admired.
Carl

 

[chuckydoll]

The feds cut 1450 ESPN back to 780 watts for a reason: Atlantic City is only 50 or so air miles from co-channel WILM in Wilmington DE.

The AM in Lakewood (first on 1170, now 1160) has always been directional.

 

[tom]

The feds cut 1450 ESPN back to 780 watts for a reason: Atlantic City is only 50 or so air miles from co-channel WILM in Wilmington DE.

The proximity to WILM has nothing to do with the power level, it's because the antenna
is "too efficient" ... both stations are 1000 watt equivalent. WENJ could return to
1000 watts day and night with a little paperwork.